Welcome to the St. Paul Institute! We are a private, Catholic fine arts cooperative for grades 3-12. The St Paul Institute is beginning our 14th season of providing intelligent theater for the whole family, in line with our motto, To Virtue Through The Arts.
Registration
- New Families: To register your child(ren) for our theater productions, please first request membership in our organization by clicking the "Join" link at the top of the page. Thank you. New families require an interview with the director, Lisa Irlbeck. Before filling out the "Join" form, please contact her at randylisairlbeck@gmail.com.
- Returning Families: You will need to update your registration form online and pay the annual registration fee prior to enrolling your children in productions.
Productions
Announcing the 2024 Fall Season!
Senior Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors
- Directed by Catherine Morrel & Ellis Sargeant
- Open to grades 8-12
- Tech week January 12-15; Performance dates January 16, 17, and 18 at MainStage 222
- Rehearsals begin August 30th
- Auditions August 23, 5:15-8
- 26 roles, plus 15 backstage crew
- Tuition (paid to director):
- $100 1st Child
- $75 2nd Child
- $50 3rd Child
- $35 4th or more children
Fall Musical: The Music Man--FULL! Now accepting backstage only
- Directed by Thomas Bartke and Gracie Morris
- Open to grades 3-12
- Tech Week January 26-29; Performance dates January 30, 31 and February 1st at MainStage 222
- Auditions August 22 & 23
- Rehearsals begin August 30
- Tuition (paid to director):
- $120 1st Child
- $75 2nd Child
- $60 3rd Child
- $45 4th or more children
24-25 Fees:
- Registration, per family:
- $100 (early bird) until August 16
- $150 (regular) until August 23
- $200 (late) after August 23
- Tuition, per child, per production:
- $100 1st Child
- $75 2nd Child
- $50 3rd Child
- $35 4th or more children
- Production Fees, per child, per production:
- $50 1st Child
- $40 2nd Child
- $35 3rd or more children
- Other costs:
- Costumes--SPI maintains and shares costume pieces but some or all will need to be provided by the family; most can be purchased at thrift stores but occasional items need to be purchased new.
- Entry tickets to shows (all non-actors pay admission):
- Licensed shows: $12/person; $40 family cap per performance ($8/person; $32 family cap for matinees).
- Other shows: $8/person; $32 family cap per performance ($5/person; $20 family cap for matinees)
Family Committment:
- For each production, each family must work approximately 7-10 volunteer hours, depending on how many families sign up or opt out. Parents have the option of paying a $100 opt out fee per production in lieu of volunteering.
- We began a new policy last year with the older troupe, which will now apply to all shows, requiring students to be ‘off-book’ around midway through the practice period for every show. This off-book status is demonstrated to Mrs Irlbeck during an “Italian run” of the show, at which point students will be marked as penalized should they not fulfill their obligation. This failure to fulfill the obligation they undertake by auditioning for a show will preclude them from auditioning for main roles in the following semester’s shows, and can also include losing the privilege of participating in the shows for an entire season. We have worked with many children of varying ages and degrees of interest and capacity over the years, and I can say with confidence that if they have auditioned for a main role and been given one, they are truly capable of memorizing the lines of their character. Doing so does require a decision on their part to put in the time and effort to achieve success, and to find the techniques and tricks that work for them.